A Beginners Guide to Learning Chess - KSCA · The purpose of Chess is to “checkmate”* (all...

A Beginners Guide to Learning Chess (Version for ages 13 and Older)

By

Ralph E. Bowman

Author of A Beginner’s Guide to Coaching Scholastic Chess available free at

http://main.uschess.org/images/stories/scholastic_chess_resources/a_beginners_guide_to_coaching_scholastic_chess.pdf

With editorial assistance by Joseph L. Bell

Copyright © 2008

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The Pieces ................................................................................................................... 4 The Pawn ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Practice 1 .............................................................................................................................................................. 6 Practice 2 .............................................................................................................................................................. 6

The Rook ................................................................................................................................................. 6 Practice 3 .............................................................................................................................................................. 7

The Knight .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Practice 4 .............................................................................................................................................................. 8 Practice 5 .............................................................................................................................................................. 8

The Bishop ............................................................................................................................................... 8 Practice 6 .............................................................................................................................................................. 9 Practice 7 .............................................................................................................................................................. 9

The Queen ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Practice 8 ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Practice 9 ............................................................................................................................................................ 10

The King ................................................................................................................................................ 10 Practice 10 .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Practice 11 .......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Practice 12 .......................................................................................................................................................... 11

Test 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 11

Test 2 ...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Exercise 1 ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 Exercise 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 13 Exercise 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 14 Exercise 4 ........................................................................................................................................................... 14 Exercise 5 ........................................................................................................................................................... 15

Test 3 ...................................................................................................................................................... 16 Exercise 6 ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 Exercise 7 ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 Exercise 8 ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 Exercise 9 ........................................................................................................................................................... 17

Test 4 ...................................................................................................................................................... 18 Exercise 10 ......................................................................................................................................................... 18 Exercise 11 ......................................................................................................................................................... 19 Exercise 12 ......................................................................................................................................................... 19

Test 1 Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 20

Test 2 Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Exercise 1: .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Exercise 2: .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Exercise 3: .......................................................................................................................................................... 20 Exercise 4: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Exercise 5: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21

Test 3 Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Exercise 6: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21

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Exercise 7: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Exercise 8: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Exercise 9: .......................................................................................................................................................... 21

Test 4 Suggestions ................................................................................................................................. 21 Exercise 10: ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 Exercise 11: ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 Exercise 12: ........................................................................................................................................................ 22

Chapter 2 - Checkmating Your Opponent .................................................................................. 23 Test 5 ...................................................................................................................................................... 24

Test 6 ...................................................................................................................................................... 25 Exercise 1 ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 Exercise 2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 Exercise 3 ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Exercise 4 ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Exercise 5 ........................................................................................................................................................... 27 Exercise 6 ........................................................................................................................................................... 27 Exercise 7 ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 Exercise 8 ........................................................................................................................................................... 28 Exercise 9 ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 Exercise 10 ......................................................................................................................................................... 29 Exercise 11 ......................................................................................................................................................... 30 Exercise 12 ......................................................................................................................................................... 30

Test 6 Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 1: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 2: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 3: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 4: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 5: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 6: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 7: .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 Exercise 8: .......................................................................................................................................................... 32 Exercise 9: .......................................................................................................................................................... 32 Exercise 10: ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Exercise 11: ........................................................................................................................................................ 32 Exercise 12: ........................................................................................................................................................ 32

Test 7 ...................................................................................................................................................... 32 Exercise 13 ......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Exercise 14 ......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Exercise 15 ......................................................................................................................................................... 34 Exercise 16 ......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Exercise 17 ......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Exercise 18 ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Exercise 19 ......................................................................................................................................................... 36 Exercise 20 ......................................................................................................................................................... 37

Test 7 Answers ...................................................................................................................................... 37

Chapter 3 - Basic Guides to Winning .......................................................................................... 38

Chapter 4 - Rules.......................................................................................................................... 47

Chapter 5 – Information about Chess Tournaments for Parents and Adults ........................... 51 Equipment ............................................................................................................................................. 51

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Tournament Directors .......................................................................................................................... 53

Earning Points....................................................................................................................................... 54

Byes ........................................................................................................................................................ 54

Forfeits ................................................................................................................................................... 54

Ratings ................................................................................................................................................... 55

Pairings .................................................................................................................................................. 56

Tiebreaks ............................................................................................................................................... 58

Entering a Tournament ........................................................................................................................ 59

Scorekeeping ......................................................................................................................................... 59

Questions During A Round .................................................................................................................. 60

What to Do at the Conclusion of a Game ........................................................................................... 60

Glossary of Chess Terms................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Appendix A: Board Order Pairing Sheet .................................................................................... 71

Appendix B: Alphabetical Pairing Sheet .................................................................................... 72

Appendix C: Standings ................................................................................................................ 73

Appendix D: It’s Your Move ........................................................................................................ 74

Appendix E: Scholastic Scoresheet ............................................................................................. 75

Appendix F: Chess Setup & Scorekeeping ................................................................................. 76

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Chapter 1 - The Pieces

The purpose of Chess is to “checkmate”* (all terms with an asterisk* are

defined in the “Glossary of Chess Terms”) the opponent (i.e. the other player).

“Checkmate” is attacking the opponent’s King that then has no way to escape the

attack. Each player has an “army” to help attack the King. Before we can learn

how to “checkmate” it is important to learn how each of the pieces in your “army”

works. Even if you already know how the pieces move, it is important to read each

chapter in order.

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1a

Diagram 1a shows where all of the pieces should be at the start of a Chess

game. Your board is turned the right way if each player has a white square in the

bottom right corner of the board (h1 for white and a8 for black). In these diagrams

the King has a small cross on top (K) and the Queen has points on top (Q). Every

game should begin with the pieces placed as in diagram 1a.

Look at the letters and numbers around the edge of the board. These are to

make it easier to name an exact square. The numbers tell us the ranks (rows), 1 is

the first row for the White pieces and 8 is the first row for the Black pieces. The

letters tell us the files (columns). We use the letters and numbers to tell us a

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specific square always referring to the file first and the rank second, such a1 or d4

or f6 or h8 which is called notation* (see the “Glossary of Chess Terms” and

Appendix F).

The Pawn XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1b

The Pawns have two jobs: 1) to make it harder for the opponent’s “army” to

attack you and 2) to help your “army” attack your opponent. For beginners, the

Pawn is usually the most difficult piece to understand.

On the first move for a Pawn, it has the choice of moving one square or two

squares straight ahead. In Diagram 1b the White Pawn has been moved two

squares (from e2 to e4); however, it could have moved only one square (e3) if you

choose to do so. For all moves after the first move, the Pawn can only move one

square straight ahead.

The Pawn cannot move straight ahead to any square that already has another

piece or Pawn. In Diagram 1b if an opponent’s piece or Pawn were on e5, then

that Pawn could not move until that piece or Pawn moves from in front of it. The

Pawn cannot jump over another piece.

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The Pawn can only capture an “enemy piece” which is one square

diagonally (slant) in front of it. In Diagram 1b that would be the two squares with

the black dots.

Practice 1

On an empty board put a White Pawn on e2 and a Black Pawn on d7 so they

are the only pieces on the board. How many times can you move each Pawn

before neither Pawn cannot move?

Practice 2

On an empty board put a White Pawn on e2 and a Black Pawn on d7 so they

are the only pieces on the board. How many moves will it take either piece to

capture* the other?

The Rook XABCDEFGHY 8-snlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-tr-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1c

In Diagram 1c a Black Rook has been placed on e5. The Rook moves only

in straight lines (left to right, top to bottom). The Rook in Diagram 1c could

legally move* (see the “Glossary of Chess Terms”) to any of the squares which

have a black dot (a5, b5, c5, d5, f5, g5, h5, e6, e4, e3, and could capture the White

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Pawn on e2). The Rook can capture any of the opponent’s pieces which are on a

square to which the Rook can legally move. The Rook cannot move to any square

which is occupied by a piece of the same color. The Rook cannot jump over

another piece.

Practice 3

Place a Black Rook on a8 and a White Pawn on h2 so they are the only

pieces on the board. How many moves will it take for the Rook to capture the

Pawn? How many ways can that Rook move to capture that Pawn?

The Knight

XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+n+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1d

The Knight moves in an “L shape”. The Knight moves two squares in one

direction (right, left, up, or down) and then one square to the side. In “Diagram

1d” the Black Knight, which has been placed on e4, could legally move to any of

the squares which have a black dot (d6, f6, c5, g5, c3, g3, and could capture the

White Pawns on d2 and f2).

The Knight is the only Chess piece which can jump over other pieces. The

Knight can capture any of the opponent’s pieces which are on a square to which

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the Knight can legally move. The Knight cannot move to any square which is

occupied by a piece of the same color.

Practice 4

Place a White Knight on b1 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

moves will it take to move that Knight to a8?

Practice 5

Place a Black Knight on h8. How many moves will it take to move that

Knight to g8?

The Bishop XABCDEFGHY 8rsn-wqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+l+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1e

The Bishop moves diagonally, and always stays on the same color as they

were on when the game began. In “Diagram 1e” the Black (white-squared)

Bishop, which has been placed on d5, can move to any of the squares with the

black dots (c6, e6, c4, e4, b3, f3, and could capture the White Pawns on a2 and g2).

The Bishop can capture any of the opponent’s pieces which are on a square

to which the Bishop can legally move. The Bishop cannot move to any square

which is occupied by a piece of the same color. The Bishop cannot jump over

another piece.

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Practice 6

Place a White Bishop on c1 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

moves does it take to move that Bishop to d8?

Practice 7

Place a Black Bishop on c8 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

moves does it take to move that Bishop to a8?

The Queen XABCDEFGHY 8rsnl+kvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+q+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1f

The Queen (“Super Woman”) is the most powerful piece on the board. The

Queen can move in a straight line in any direction. In “Diagram 1f” the Black

Queen, which has been placed on d5, could move to any of the squares with the

black dots (c6, d6, e6, a5, b5, c5, e5, f5, g5, h5, c4, d4, e4, b3, d3, f3, and could

capture the White Pawns on a2, d2, and g2).

The Queen can capture any of the opponent’s pieces which are on a square

to which the Queen can legally move. The Queen cannot move to any square

which is occupied by a piece of the same color. The Queen cannot jump over

another piece.

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Practice 8

Place the White Queen on d1 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

moves does it take to move to f8?

Practice 9

Place the White Queen on d1 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

different ways can you find to move the Queen from d1 to f8?

The King XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+K+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQ+LsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 1g

The King can move in any direction, but only one square at a time. In

“Diagram 1g”, the White King, which has been placed on e4, can legally move to

any of the squares with black dots (d5, e5, f5, d4, f4, d3, e3, and f3).

The King can capture any of the opponent’s pieces which are on a square to

which the King can legally move. The King cannot move to any square which is

occupied by a piece of the same color.

The King can never move to a square where the King would be in check*

(see the “Glossary of Chess Terms”), which means that an opponent’s piece could

also move to that square, so the King is now in danger, but can still move.

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No King can move onto a square next to the opponent’s King. The easiest

way to remember this is that the King has a “force field” around him that will not

let the opponent’s King enter, but all of the opponent’s other pieces can enter that

force field.

Practice 10

Place the White King on e1 so it is the only piece on the board. How many

moves does it take for the King to move to e4?

Practice 11


moves does it take for the King to move to h4?

Practice 12


moves does it take for the King to move to h1?

That is your “army”. To win you have to “out think” your opponent. You

have to be better at moving all of your pieces than your opponent.

White starts every game by moving one piece or Pawn. Then it is Black’s

turn to move one piece or Pawn. This order continues until the game is over.

Test 1

Now that you know how each piece moves, go back and study the diagrams

for each of the pieces and see if the piece in the center that is capturing the Pawns

in the diagrams can be captured and which of the opponent’s pieces could legally

capture it.

The answers are at the end of this chapter. Don’t cheat! Look at the

diagrams before looking at the answers.

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Each piece has a “point value”. The only purpose of the point value is to let

beginning players understand which pieces are more important than other pieces.

The Pawn is worth one point. The Knight and Bishop are each worth three points.

The Rook is worth five points. The Queen is worth nine points. The King has no

point value (since it is never really “captured”), but it is the most valuable piece.

When you are playing and are considering trading pieces, remember the point

value of the pieces is used to determine if that trade is a good trade or not. If you

think of the point values as “dollars” it may be easier for you to remember. For

example, trading your Queen for your opponent’s Knight would not be a good

trade. That would be like giving your opponent $9.00 and your opponent only

gives you $3.00. Does that sound like a good trade to you? It is not, unless you

can force checkmate after the trade.

Let us now test your understanding of point values. In the following

exercises, each of your pieces can capture two of your opponent’s pieces. Which

one is the better capture? The answers are at the end of the chapter.

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Test 2 Exercise 1

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+l+r+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-mK-+-! xabcdefghy

It is White’s turn to move. Which piece should be captured, the Bishop or the

Rook?

Exercise 2

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-tr-+-+R% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-vL-mK-+-! xabcdefghy

It is Black’s turn to move. Which piece should be captured, the White Bishop or the White Rook?

13

Exercise 3

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+q+k+( 7zppsN-+pzpp' 6-+-+r+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-zP-+-+$ 3+-zP-zP-+-# 2PzP-+-zPPzP" 1tR-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy

It is White’s turn to move. Which piece should be captured, the Black Rook on a8, the Black Rook on e6, or the Black Queen on e8?

Exercise 4

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4R+-wq-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-mK-sN-! xabcdefghy

It is Black’s turn to move. Which piece should be captured the White Knight or

the White Rook?

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Exercise 5

XABCDEFGHY 8-sn-+k+-tr( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-vL-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-mK-+-! xabcdefghy

It is White’s turn to move. Which piece should be captured the Black Knight or

the Black Rook?

Now it is time to test your knowledge of how the pieces move. You are to

find the fewest number of moves to place the opponent’s King in check. For this

test the opponent does not get any moves. The only piece you are to move is the

piece in the question under each Exercise in Test 3 (Exercises 6, 7, 8 and 9).

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Test 3 Exercise 6

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+P+-+-# 2PzPP+-zPPzP" 1+-+-mKL+-! xabcdefghy

What is the fewest number of moves for the White Bishop to put the Black King in check?

Exercise 7

XABCDEFGHY 8-sn-+k+-+( 7zpp+-+-zpp' 6-+p+-zp-+& 5+-+pzp-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-mK-+-! xabcdefghy

What is the fewest number of moves for the Black Knight to put the White King in

check?

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Exercise 8

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-zP-+-+-% 4-zP-zP-zPP+$ 3zP-+-zP-+-# 2-+-+-+KzP" 1tR-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

What is the fewest number of moves for the White Rook to put the Black King in

check?

Exercise 9

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-wqk+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5zppzppzp-zpp% 4-+-+-zp-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-mK-+-! xabcdefghy

What is the fewest number of moves for the Black Queen to put the White King in

check?

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Test 4

In Test 4 Player 1 will have just Pawns and Player 2 will have one piece.

Player 1 wins whenever a Pawn reaches the eighth rank so it could be promoted*.

Promotion means that when a Pawn gets to the last rank (row) on the other side of

the board it may be exchanged for another piece (Bishop, Knight, Rook, or Queen).

Player 2 wants to try to capture all of Player 1s Pawns before they can reach the

last rank. In these exercises (10, 11, and 12), the King is never to move. Player 1,

with the Pawns, will always move first in this test.

Exercise 10

XABCDEFGHY 8-sn-+-+-mk( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPP+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+K! xabcdefghy

Player 1 has the pawns and moves first. Player two has the Knight. Remember

that the Kings are not to move. Repeat this exercise with each person getting a

chance to be Player 1 and Player 2.

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Exercise 11

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+k+( 7+pzpp+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-vL-+-+K! xabcdefghy




Exercise 12

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-mk( 7+pzppzpp+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1tR-+-+-+K! xabcdefghy




19

Test 1 Answers

Pawn: Nothing can capture it in this example.

Rook: If the Rook captures the Pawn on e2, it could be captured by the Queen on

d1, the King on e1, or the Bishop on f1.

Knight: If the Knight captures the Pawn on d2, it could be captured by the Bishop

on c1, the Queen on d1, or the King on e1. If the Knight captures the Pawn

on f2, it could be captured by the King on e1.

Bishop: If the Bishop captures the Pawn on a2, it could be captured by the Rook on

a1. If the Bishop captures the Pawn on g2, it could be captured by the

Bishop on f1.

Queen: If the Queen captures the Pawn on a2, then it could be captured by the

Rook on a1, just like in the Bishop example. If the Queen captures the Pawn

on d2, it could be captured by the Bishop on c1, the Queen on d1, or the

King on e1, just like in the Rook example. If the Queen captures the Pawn

on g2, it could be captured by the Bishop on f1, just like the Bishop example

above.

King: Nothing can capture it in this example.

Test 2 Answers

Exercise 1:

The Rook, because it is worth $5.00, while the Bishop is only worth $3.00.

Exercise 2:

The Rook is worth $5.00 while the Bishop is worth $3.00.

Exercise 3:

This diagram points out the value of Knights. Three pieces are forked and

White has a choice. The correct choice would be the Queen that is worth

$9.00 as opposed to the Rooks that are only worth $5.00.

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Exercise 4:

The Rook is worth $5.00 and the Knight is worth $3.00.

Exercise 5:

The Rook, because it is worth $5.00 while the Knight is only worth $3.00.

Test 3 Answers

Exercise 6:

Two – B-e2 and then B-h5+

Exercise 7:

Three – N-d7, N-c5, and then N-d3+

Exercise 8:

Four – R-f1, R-f3, R-h3, and then R-h8+

Exercise 9:

Three – Q-f6, Q-f5, and then Q-e5+ or Q-b1+

Test 4 Suggestions

In each of these exercises for the Pawns to win they must work together.

Exercise 10:

The Knight can more easily stop the advance of the Pawns if it is blocking

one of the Pawns from moving.

Exercise 11:

The Bishop must be in a position to control a diagonal so the Pawns can not

cross that diagonal. It will also help if the Bishop is blocking one of the

Pawns.

21

Exercise 12:

The Rook is strongest when attacking Pawns from the side or behind and not

from in front.

22

Chapter 2 - Checkmating Your Opponent

After you have learned how to move each of the pieces, next you need to

learn how to “checkmate”* (all terms with an asterisk* are defined in the

“Glossary of Chess Terms”) your opponent. You are “in check” when an

opponent’s piece is attacking your King. That means that the opponent has moved

a piece to a square where it attacks your King and, on the next move, could capture

your King unless you do something about it.

There are three ways to get out of check: 1) the first is to capture the

attacking piece; 2) the second is to move the King, but the King can never move to

a square which is also attacked by an enemy piece, which is why your pieces must

work together to create “checkmate”; 3) the third is to put one of your pieces

between your King and the piece attacking your King (putting it in “check”).

“Checkmate” is when a King is being attacked and none of the three methods

above can get the King out of check.

The first step in learning to “checkmate” is to understand that it almost

always takes more than one of your pieces to create “checkmate”. Which means

that you have to learn how to move two or more pieces together to force the

opponent’s King to a place where it can be “checkmated”. The easiest place to

“checkmate” the opponent’s King is against the edge of the board, because that

immediately takes away at least three escape squares for the King.

Test 5 is an exercise you will do by yourself and you will need a Chess

board with no pieces on it. You will pick up the pieces listed in Test 5 and place

them anywhere on the board so that the lone King is checkmated. Do not move

any pieces after placing them on the board. The spot you choose to place the

23

pieces should be “checkmate” (which means the King has no legal moves). Try to

find as many ways as you can for these groups of pieces to make a “checkmate”:

Test 5

1. White King , White Queen vs Black King

2. Black King, Black Rook vs White King

3. White Queen, White Rook vs Black King

4. Black King, Black Bishop, Black Rook vs White King

5. White King, White Knight, White Rook vs Black King

6. Black Queen, Black Bishop vs White King

7. White Queen, White Knight vs Black King

8. Black King, Black Knight, Black Bishop vs White King

Try these same eight groups as many times as you need until they are easy for you,

then you will be ready for the next part of this chapter.

Now in the second part of this chapter, we will practice exercises with

“checkmate” in one move for White or Black. It is up to you to find the right piece

to move and the right square to make “checkmate” in one move. Remember that

for it to be a real “checkmate” your opponent’s King must be “in check” and with

no way to get out of check. They have to try to see if they can: 1) capture the

piece, 2) move the King to a safe and legal square, or 3) try putting a piece in

between the King and the piece that has the King in check. Make sure you look at

the whole board, all 64 squares, before assuming it is “checkmate”!

Remember that it usually takes at least two pieces to make a “checkmate”.

The first part of this chapter was to teach you the positions (places) in which you

must get your pieces to make a “checkmate”. In the second part (Test 6), you are

to find “checkmate” in one move.

24

Test 6

Exercise 1

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+Q+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-mk-+$ 3+-+L+-+-# 2-+-+-mK-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

White to move, checkmate in one move

Exercise 2

XABCDEFGHY 8r+k+-vl-tr( 7zplzpp+pzp-' 6-zp-+psn-+& 5+-+-wq-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-sNPvL-zP-# 2PzPP+QzP-+" 1+-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy

Black to move, checkmate in one move

25

Exercise 3

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-+rmk( 7+pzp-+pzpp' 6p+nzp-sn-+& 5+-+-zp-sN-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3zP-sNP+-+-# 2-zPP+-zPPzP" 1tR-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy


Exercise 4

XABCDEFGHY 8r+l+-trk+( 7+pzp-+pzp-' 6-+-zp-sn-zp& 5zpn+-+-+-% 4P+-+P+-+$ 3+K+P+Q+N# 2-zPN+-zPPzP" 1tR-+-+-+R! xabcdefghy


26

Exercise 5

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+k+( 7zppzp-+pzpp' 6-vlnzp-+r+& 5+-+-+-wq-% 4-+Q+-+-+$ 3+-sNP+-zP-# 2PzPPvL-zP-zP" 1tR-+-tR-mK-! xabcdefghy


Exercise 6

XABCDEFGHY 8-mkrwq-tr-+( 7zplzp-zp-vl-' 6-zp-zp-zpnzp& 5+-+-+-zp-% 4PzPP+N+-+$ 3+-+-zPKsN-# 2-+-+LzPPzP" 1tRR+Q+-+-! xabcdefghy


27

Exercise 7

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-trkvl-tr( 7zplwqpzp-+p' 6-zpp+nzp-+& 5+-+-+nzp-% 4-+-zP-+-+$ 3+-sNQzP-+-# 2PzPPsNLzPPzP" 1tR-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy


Exercise 8

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+r+k+( 7zppzpl+pzpp' 6-+qsn-sn-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+LwQ-+-+$ 3+PsN-+-+-# 2PvLr+-+PzP" 1+R+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy


28

Exercise 9

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-trk+( 7zppzp-+pzpp' 6-+-zp-sn-+& 5+-+-zp-+-% 4-snl+Pvl-+$ 3zP-sN-+N+-# 2-zPP+-zPPzP" 1+-+RmK-+R! xabcdefghy


Exercise 10

XABCDEFGHY 8-mk-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-mK-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+R! xabcdefghy


29

Exercise 11

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+-trk+( 7zppwq-+pzpp' 6-+p+l+-+& 5+n+-+-+-% 4-+-+P+n+$ 3zP-+PvLQ+-# 2-zPPsN-zPPzP" 1tR-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy


Exercise 12

XABCDEFGHY 8-+ktr-+-tr( 7zp-+pvlpzpp' 6-zp-+psn-+& 5+-zp-+-+-% 4-+-+PvL-+$ 3+-+L+N+-# 2PzPP+-zPPzP" 1tR-+-+RmK-! xabcdefghy


30

Test 6 Answers

Exercise 1:

Q-f5# (Queen to f5 checkmate) The Queen will be protected (guarded) by

the Bishop, and the White King is stopping the Black King from moving to

e3, f3, or g3.

Exercise 2:

R-h1# The Rook will be guarded by the Bishop on b7.

Exercise 3:

NxP(f7)# This is known as a “Smothered Mate”. The Black King is

completely blocked in (smothered) by the side of the board and Black

pieces, and no Black piece is protecting the Pawn on f7.

Exercise 4:

B-e6# The Knight is helping by taking away the only escape squares for

the White King.

Exercise 5:

R-e8# This is known as a “Back Rank (row) Mate”. Black is not protecting

Black’s back rank (row) and the Black King is blocked in by its own Black

Pawns. White could have captured the Black Queen with the Bishop, but the

purpose of the game is “checkmate”, not “taking pieces”.

Exercise 6:

N-e5# N-h4 is “check”, but not “checkmate”. White’s own pieces and

Pawns plus the Black Pawn on g5 are taking away all of the White Kings

escape squares.

Exercise 7:

B-h5# Black has made this problem by moving the side Pawns and not

making sure the King has an escape square.

31

Exercise 8:

Qxg2# If the Rook captures the Pawn on g2 it will be “check”, but not

checkmate.

Exercise 9:

NxP(c2)# The Black Bishops are helping to trap the White King and White

does not have the c2 square guarded (protected).

Exercise 10:

R-h8# The Black King is trapped against the side of the board by the White

King.

Exercise 11:

QXP(h2)# The Queen is guarded by the Knight .

Exercise 12:

B-a6# White’s dark squared Bishop is taking away the Black King’s escape

squares.

In Test 5 you learned how to place your pieces to make a “checkmate”. In

Test 6 you learned to pay attention to when you might be able to make a

“checkmate”. Test 7 is the hardest test in this book; but it is also the most

important. In Test 7 you get practice forcing the opponent’s King to a square

where you can make a “checkmate”.

Test 7

In Test 7 you are to set up the pieces like the diagram. It is best if you play

with a friend and one is Player 1 the first time and the second time for that exercise

the other is Player 1. If Player 1 can checkmate in the right number of moves or

less then they win. If it takes Player 1 more than the listed number of moves then

32

Player 2 wins. Player 2 wants to keep the King as close to the center of the board

as is possible until forced to the side of the board and is checkmated. Player 1 will

always moves first in these exercises. Note: You cannot force the King to the side

of the board if you do not use all of your pieces and must not just “check” the King

each move. You could get checkmate sooner than the exercise says. What is the

fewest moves in which you can make a checkmate?

Exercise 13

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+k+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+QmK-+-! xabcdefghy

Player 1 is White and White is to checkmate in 15 moves or less.

33

Exercise 14

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-mK-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

Player 1 is Black and Black is to checkmate in 20 moves or less.

Exercise 15

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+k+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1tR-+QmK-+-! xabcdefghy


34

Exercise 16

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+k+-tr( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-mK-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

Player 1 is Black and Black is to checkmate is 12 moves or less.

Exercise 17

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+k+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+QmKL+-! xabcdefghy


35

Exercise 18

XABCDEFGHY 8-+l+k+-tr( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-mK-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

Player 1 is Black and Black is checkmate in 20 moves or less.

Exercise 19

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+-+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+k+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+QmK-sN-! xabcdefghy


36

Exercise 20

XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+k+n+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-mK-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

Player 1 is Black and Black is to checkmate in 20 moves or less.

Test 7 Answers

These are the first moves which should have been made to get a checkmate

in the fewest possible moves: Exercise 13 - Queen to d6, Exercise 14 - Rook to a4,

Exercise 15 - Rook to a5 or Queen to d6, Exercise 16 – Rook to a4 or Rook to h4,

Exercise 17 – Queen to d6, Exercise 18 – Rook to h4, Exercise 19 – Queen to d6,

and Exercise 20 – Rook to a4. Please note that the purpose of these moves is to cut

down the number of safe squares to which the opponent may legally move their

King.

Checkmates with just Knights and Bishops are the hardest to do and you

need a lot of experience (practice). That is why they are not in this book. Work

hardest on each of the kinds of checkmates that we have talked about earlier and

you will be able to win many games.

37

Chapter 3 - Basic Guides to Winning

In the first chapter you learned how the pieces moved. In the second chapter

you learned how to make “checkmate”. This chapter will consist of two parts. The

first part explains “special rules” about how certain pieces move, and the second

part is things you need to understand to win Chess games.

Since Chess first began thousands of years ago, there have been only three

changes in the rules about how pieces can move. The first rule change lets a Pawn

choose to move either one or two squares straight ahead on its first move only

(which was covered in the first chapter).

To get a fair chance against this “first move choice” of a Pawn (to move two

squares if they want) a second change was made with a move called “en passant”.

“En passant” is a French term that means “in passing”. If a Pawn moves two

squares on its first move and lands beside an opponent’s Pawn, then the opponent

may capture that new Pawn as if it had only moved one square. The opponent

cannot wait to do this and must do that on the next move. In Diagram 3a White has

just moved the Pawn from f2 to f4, and Black already had a Pawn on g4. Since the

White Pawn landed next to the Black Pawn, the Black Pawn can, for this move

only, move to f3 (where the black dot is) and capture the White Pawn on f4. That

move would be called “en passant”.

38

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzpp+p+p' 6-+-+p+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+PzPp+$ 3+-sNP+-+-# 2PzPP+-+PzP" 1tR-vLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3a

The third change is called “castling”. Why do we castle*? The purpose of

castling is to quickly get the King closer to the side (corner) of the board and away

from the center, because the side of the board is usually much safer for the King.

To “castle”, the King is moved two squares toward a Rook. Then the Rook is

jumped over to the square on the opposite side of the King. This is the only time a

Rook can jump over another piece. “Castling” can be done on the “queenside” or

the “kingside”. There are four rules for “castling”: 1) You can only do it if the

King and Rook have not yet moved from their starting squares, 2) the King cannot

“castle” to get out of “check”, 3) there can be no pieces between the King and

Rook, and 4) the King cannot pass through “check” on the way to the “castled

position” (which means that no enemy piece can be attacking those squares).

39

XABCDEFGHY 8-+ktr-vlntr( 7zppzpq+pzpp' 6-+nzpl+-+& 5+-+-zp-+-% 4-+L+P+-+$ 3+-sNP+N+-# 2PzPP+-zPPzP" 1tR-vLQ+RmK-! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3b

In Diagram 3b White has “castled” to the kingside and Black has “castled” to the

queenside. With the kingside “castle” there is only one square between the King

and the edge (side) of the board, but with the queenside “castle” there are two

squares between the King and the edge of the board.

The secret to winning games is to get your pieces “developed*” as soon as

possible. “Developing” a piece means to have that piece make it’s first move so

that it is in a position to help defend your King and attack your opponent. The

player who only gets out one or two pieces and just uses those pieces will almost

always lose.

You have been given six types of pieces for a good reason. All by

themselves, it is very hard for any of them to be able to create “checkmate”; but,

when they work together as a team with your other pieces, it becomes much easier

to “checkmate”.

40

Hundreds of books have been written on “Openings” (how to move your

pieces at the beginning of the game). Do not use them now. After you have

played in several Chess tournaments, then you might want to look at some of those

books. They are of no use to a player just beginning to learn the game. All you

need to know about the beginning of the game is to move any one of six Pawns and

pieces (shown in Diagram 3c) in the first five moves.

XABCDEFGHY 8-snl+kvln+( 7+-+pzp-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-zPP+-+" 1+NvL-mKLsN-! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3c

In Diagram 3c each player has only two Pawns and four pieces, not including the

King. During your first five moves you are to move any five of those, whether you

are playing the White pieces or Black pieces and never move any piece twice in the

first five moves. You can break this rule if your opponent is letting you take one

of their pieces for free. Take it, but be very careful that it is not a trap.

41

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnl+kvlntr( 7zppzpp+pzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-zp-+-% 4-+-+P+-wq$ 3+-+-+N+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKL+R! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3d

In Diagram 3d both players have made two moves and it is now White’s turn to

move. In this case White should forget about getting developed and instead

“capture” the Queen with the Knight.

XABCDEFGHY 8r+lwqkvlntr( 7zppzpp+pzpp' 6-+n+-+-+& 5+-+-zp-+Q% 4-+L+P+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tRNvL-mK-sNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3e

If your opponent is attacking something of yours, then defend it. In Diagram 3e it

is Blacks turn to move. White is attacking the Black Pawn on f7. If White

“captures” that Pawn with the Queen that would be “checkmate” because the

Queen would be protected (guarded) by the Bishop on c4 and this game would be

42

43

over. But it is Black’s move (turn) and Black has three ways to stop White from

“capturing” the Pawn on f7: 1) Queen to e7 or f6 which will guard the f7 Pawn, 2)

Knight to h6 which will guard the f7 Pawn, or 3) Pawn from g7 to g6 which

attacks the Queen and also stops the attack on the f7 Pawn. If White were to be

able to “capture” the Pawn on f7 for “checkmate” that type of “checkmate” is

called a “Scholar’s Mate”.

It makes no difference in what order you move those Pawns/pieces. You

need to find an order that works best for you. Those Pawns and pieces are to be

moved to the square that provides the best “Attack Power”.

For that first move of each Pawn/piece you need to understand the term

“Attack Power”. This means the power of any piece or Pawn after its first move is

done. You can tell this by how many squares your piece can attack on the

opponent’s side of the board after the first move is over. For White, the

opponent’s side of the board is the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th ranks (rows); and for Black

the opponent’s side of the board is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th ranks (rows). You can

see these as numbers on the side of the board.

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-zP-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvlntr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+P+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzP-zPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

Diagram 3f Diagram 3g

The black dots in Diagrams 3f and 3g show which squares that Pawn is attacking.

The “Attack Power” of the Pawn in the Diagram 3f is 0 because it is not attacking

any squares on Black’s side of the board (5th through 8th ranks). But the “Attack

Power” of the Pawn in Diagram 3g is 2 because it is attacking two squares on the

opponent’s side of the board (5th through 8th ranks). S0, most of the time, the best

first Pawn move is to move the Pawn two squares instead of just one, but only if

the opponent is not already attacking that square.

44

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvl-tr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-+-sn& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefghy

XABCDEFGHY 8rsnlwqkvl-tr( 7zppzppzppzpp' 6-+-+-sn-+& 5+-+-+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2PzPPzPPzPPzP" 1tRNvLQmKLsNR! xabcdefgh

Diagram 3h Diagram 3i

Do you see that in Diagram 3h the “Attack Power” of the Knight is 1, but the

“Attack Power” of the Knight in Diagram 3i is 2. That tells you that it is always

stronger (better) to “develop”* the Knight towards the center of the board on its

first move than to the edge (side) of the board.

Now that you have learned about “Attack Power” for the Pawn and Knight,

where do you think each Bishop would have the strongest (best) “Attack Power”?

During the whole game, make sure you never move a piece to where your

opponent can “capture” it for free. Try to make sure that each time you move a

piece that it will be protected (guarded) by another of your pieces.

Once you have made those first five moves and have five of those six pieces

“developed” you are in a “position” (the right setup) to play the game well. You

have pieces and Pawns “developed” to “positions” which can help in the defense

(guarding) of your King and help in your attack on your opponent.

Never move a side Pawn (a, b, c, f, g, h) until late in the game, especially the

Pawns in front of the “castled” King. The Pawns are in their strongest (best)

45

position at the beginning of the game. As Pawns are advanced (moved) they

become harder to defend and make it easier for an opponent to get a Knight or

Bishop or Queen behind them.

To win a game there is only one other major point which you need to

remember: always keep your eyes on what your opponent is trying to do to you!

More games are lost because of a player not seeing what their opponent is trying to

do (especially which squares on your side of the board are being attacked) than for

any other reason.

If you understand what is in this chapter and if you carefully follow the

instructions in “Appendix D” each time it is your move, you should not make any

mistakes and that will greatly improve your chances of winning.

46

Chapter 4 - Rules There are many people who think they know the rules to Chess because of

the rules they used when they were playing with mom or grandpa. Lots of times,

those “family” rules are not the real rules for Chess. Before you go to a Chess

tournament or begin to play seriously, you should get a copy of the USCF Official

Rules of Chess. You can get it from the “United States Chess Federation”

(www.uschess.org). Then you can make sure you know the “proper” rules. This

chapter will NOT have all of the rules listed in that book, but it will have the rules

which most beginners have the hardest time understanding.

The first is “touch move”* (all terms with an asterisk* are defined in the

“Glossary of Chess Terms”). This is required (have to keep this rule) in all

tournaments, and you need to practice playing by using “touch move” all the time

so you will never forget to use it! There are three parts of the “touch move” rule:

1) if you touch one of your pieces with any part of your hand or fingers you must

move that piece, if it is a “legal move” (by the rules); 2) if you touch an opponent’s

piece with your piece or your fingers you are have to “capture” that piece, if it is a

“legal move” to capture that piece; 3) if you let go of your piece on a square (even

for a millionth of a second) your move is over, if that move was a “legal move”.

Touching a piece with a piece of your clothing (like a sleeve) or any jewelry or a

watch does NOT mean you have to move that piece. “Castling” is a King move; so

the King should always be touched first. As soon as a player’s hand has let go of a

piece onto a square, that player’s move is over even if they forget to start their

clock.

No player is to do anything which will distract (bother) another player,

especially their opponent. Do NOT make noises anyone can hear with your mouth,

pencil, Chess pieces, or anything else you have. Do NOT listen to music anyone

else can hear. Do NOT talk to an opponent while it is their move. Do NOT talk

47

http://www.uschess.org/

loud enough for anyone to hear except your opponent or the TD you raised your

hand to ask for help. We all need to play quietly so all can think about good

moves.

If a player has made an “illegal move” (broken the rules), the player should

fix it immediately (fast). When fixing an “illegal move” the piece that was first

moved must still be moved, if that piece has a “legal move”; if that piece does not

have a “legal move” then any other piece may be moved.

“Illegal moves” can only be “called” by the opponent on their next move.

After the next move, if not noticed by either player, then the piece must stay on the

wrong square. This usually happens with Bishops. A player will quickly move a

Bishop and accidentally places it on the wrong color. If neither player notice it

before each player moves again then that Bishop must stay on the wrong color.

The exceptions to this rule are when the King is in “check” and at the

beginning of the game. If the players find that one King is in “check” and has been

in “check” for several moves then they must call over a “Tournament Director” *

(see the “Glossary of Chess Terms”). The “Tournament Director” will help them

move backwards in the game until the King is no longer in “check” and then the

players will continue with the game from that move. If the game began with any

pieces on the wrong squares, such as the King and Queen reversed (on each others

square) or the Bishop and Knight reversed both of which happen quite often, and

fewer than ten moves have been made in the game then the game is to be started

over with the pieces on the right squares. If more than ten moves have been made,

then the game is to continue with the pieces on the wrong squares.

In Chess tournaments players use a “Chess clock” because we can not play

one game as long as we want with so many people there to play. This way each

round can start on time. Try to find a “Chess clock” to practice with before going

to a tournament. “Chess clocks” are explained in more detail in Chapter 5.

48

49

One type of ending of a Chess game is Stalemate* (see the “Glossary of

Chess Terms”). A “Stalemate” occurs when one player has only a King which can

“legally move” (by the rules) and the King has no legal moves and the King is

NOT in “check”. This game is considered a “draw”, which means neither player

wins. The Diagrams 4a and 4b are two examples of stalemates.

XABCDEFGHY 8-+-+k+-+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6p+-wQK+-+& 5zP-+-+-zp-% 4-+-+-+P+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2-+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+-! xabcdefghy

ABCDEFGH 8-+-+-+r+( 7+-+-+-+-' 6-+-+-+-+& 5+-+k+-+-% 4-+-+-+-+$ 3+-+-+-+-# 2r+-+-+-+" 1+-+-+-+K! xabcdefgh

Diagram 4a Diagram 4b

In Diagram 4a it is Blacks turn to move. Do you see that neither Pawn can move

because each is blocked by another Pawn and the King has no safe moves, which

means this game is a “stalemate”. In Diagram 4b it is Whites turn to move. The

King cannot move because the two Rooks are attacking all of the squares around

the King so this game is a “stalemate”.

The following are other types of “Draws”:

a. The two players can agree to a draw.

b. Sometimes the players have no pieces left that can be used to make a

“checkmate”. Like when there is only: 1) King vs King, 2) King vs King

AND Knight, 3) King vs King AND Bishop, and 4) King AND Knight or

Bishop vs King AND Knight or Bishop.

c. Another kind of draw is “Three-Fold-Repetition”, which is when both

players put all of their pieces on the same squares three times during the

game and no pieces were “captured” by Black or White from the first

time the position happened until the third time it happened. Many

players mix up this rule and think that it is about one player just making a

move three times in a row. That is NOT it. It has to be the position on

the board for all of both players’ pieces.

d. The last kind of “draw” is the “50 Move Rule” * (see the “Glossary of

Chess Terms”). This “draw” is when one player has only the King

(which can make “legal moves”) and the opponent has one or more

pieces other than the King. The player with the pieces is unable to

“checkmate” the opponent (with only the King which can move) in 50

moves after the only piece that player can “legally move” is the King.

No Chess player is allowed to talk to another person, look in a book, or look

at a computer, or look at any notes while their game is going. The game is

between only the two players. No one watching a game can say a word or make a

sound or do any action or signal, on purpose or not, that will help any player in a

game.

All tournament players are required (have to) to keep score (record of the

moves) in their game. This means you must write down the moves of the whole

game for both players (both sides). How to keep score correctly is explained in

Chapter 5 and Appendices E and F.

50

Chapter 5 – Information about Chess Tournaments for Parents and Adults

This chapter tells about “Chess tournaments” and things you should know

before going to and during a tournament. Chess tournaments are a way to test your

Chess skills against other players. Chess tournaments are a way for you to meet

new friends that also like to play Chess.

If you are a student, you can go to “Scholastic Chess tournaments” where

you will play against other students and represent your school. If your school does

not have a Chess team you should contact the “United States Chess Federation”

(www.uschess.org). They will let you know who to contact in your state to find

out about “Scholastic Chess tournaments”; this information is also available on

their website. Some tournaments may ask you to join the “United States Chess

Federation” (USCF) to play there, depending on the rules for that tournament. If

you are an adult then you will have to join the USCF and your State Affiliate to get

to play in tournaments. As a USCF member you will get a copy of Chess Life

magazine every month. At the back of the magazine is the “Tournament Life”

section, which tells about most tournaments in the United States.

Equipment

Each player is always expected to bring a “Chess clock” and a pen or pencil.

Many tournaments also want the player to bring a Chess set. Some tournaments do

not have any scoresheets; so you may have to bring a Chess scorebook.

The Chess sets we use at tournaments have a vinyl board that has the letters

and numbers on the sides like the diagrams in this book. We roll it up with the

squares on the outside, so it will lay flat when it is opened. The Chess pieces are

the “Staunton” design. Many vendors (Chess stores) refer to the inexpensive

version of these sets as “club specials”, which can usually be purchased for less

51

http://www.uschess.org/

than $15. There are many fancier sets that cost more. The player to play the Black

pieces has choice of equipment in a tournament game.

You will need a “Chess clock” at tournaments because: 1) many

tournaments are held in buildings that have to close by a certain time; 2) many

players drive a long way to tournaments and they don’t want to get home too late,

3) some persons want to do their very best so they might take too long (without a

clock they might take all day for one game), and 4) if each round lasts a certain

time, then the next round can begin on time. That is why we really need “Chess

clocks”. Most local adult and scholastic tournaments use “sudden death time

controls”. This means that a player has certain number of minutes to finish their

game, or they lose that game. If the tournament is advertised as “G30”, then each

player has 30 minutes to make all of their moves. Thus, one game at this time

control could last up to one hour (30+30=60). If players use up all of their time

before “checkmate” has been declared by the opponent, then the player with no

time left on their clock will lose that game. For directions of what to do while your

clock is running see Appendix D.

A “Chess clock” has two faces and two buttons, usually on top. The clock is

used to measure “reflection time” (thinking time). Each side of the clock will

show how much time that player has left to think over about their moves in this

game. When players finish their own move, they press the button on their side of

the clock, and this starts the opponent’s side of the clock. Then their opponent

pushes the button on their side of the clock when they end their move and the two

players keep taking turns until the game is over (until one player gets “checkmate”,

or they get a “draw”, or one player runs out of time so the other player wins). If

you forget to push the button on your side after you have moved, then you are

allowing your opponent to think while your clock is running. So you want to pay

careful attention to always start your opponent’s clock when your move is finished.

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There are two types of “Chess clocks”: analog (normal round clock face)

and digital. The player with the Black pieces gets to choose on which side of the

board the clock will sit (their left or right, whichever they like best). Sometimes a

Tournament Director may say that all clocks are to face the same direction so the

Tournament Director(s) can better see which games running out of time.

USCF rules say that a “digital clock” is better than an “analog clock”. By

rule, the player with the Black pieces has choice of equipment. If the player with

the Black pieces has an analog clock and the player with the White pieces has a

digital clock, then the digital clock must be used. With an “analog clock”, the

clock is always set so that the first time control or sudden death time control ends

at 6:00 so all “analog clocks” will be set the same.

“Analog clocks” can cost from $20 to $80. “Digital clocks” usually start at

$25 and go up to $120. The difference in prices is decided by the quality and

special features of the clock.

Tournament Directors

A Tournament Director (TD) is the person who is in charge of running the

tournament. In a large tournament there are usually lots of Tournament Directors

with different jobs like: pairing players for rounds (Back Room TD) and for

making sure everyone follows the rules during the game (Floor TD). In a small

tournament there is usually one person who does both jobs.

It is sad when it happens, but sometimes an opponent may not always tell the

truth about the rules. Whenever you have a question about the rules, stop the clock

and raise your hand, and wait for the TD to come and answer your question. If the

TD has left the room, stop the clock, tell your opponent that you have a question

for the TD and go find the TD. You can always ask a TD questions about the rules

during your game; but, once you and your opponent agree to a result, shake hands,

sign the other’s scoresheet, and leave the table—that game is over.

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Earning Points

When a player wins a game they earn one (1) point and the loser receives no

(0) points. When the game is a draw, each player receives one-half point (1/2 or

.5).

Byes

A “bye” is what we call it when a player does not play in a round. Mostly a

“bye” is used when there are an odd number of players in a tournament (not

enough for everyone to play); so, one player will “sit out” that round. The “lowest

rated player” in the “lowest score group” receives the bye. This type of bye is

worth one (1) point.

A “requested bye” (asked for ahead of time) is when a player has a personal

reason why they cannot play one of the rounds, and so they request (ask) that they

not be paired (given an opponent) for that one round. The player gets one-half

(1/2) point for this kind of “bye”, if the TD agrees to the player’s request. Each

tournament usually has its own set of rules for “byes” for when they may be

“requested” or used, so be sure to check on those instructions if you need a “bye”.

A “bye” is helpful to a player who has an appointment in the middle of the

tournament so they can leave and then return to the tournament or they might be

arriving late because of an appointment.

Since there is no opponent, a “bye” is not good for “tiebreaks”*.

“Tiebreaks” are explained later in this chapter.

Forfeits

When your opponent does not show up for a “round”, then you receive a

“Forfeit Win”. The forfeit is worth one (1) full point (with no “tiebreak” points).

The Forfeit happens when the opponent’s “flag falls”, after being started for the

first move of the game, or when one hour has passed from the beginning of the

“round”, whichever happens first. The player who did not show is then taken out

54

of the tournament. There are times when a player is busy doing something else,

like talking with friends or eating a meal, and simply fails to hear or notice that the

“round” has started. Watch out! It is your job as a player to make sure you make

it to your board each round and on time.

Any player who has forfeited a round is withdrawn from the tournament.

The player must contact the “Tournament Director” to continue playing.

Ratings

A “rating” is a number that tries to estimate a player’s ability (how good of a

player they are). The “rating” is to help pair up players correctly. The “rating”

also may show who might win a game when it is played. For example, if two

players play, and one is 150 or more points above the other, then you might think

the “higher-rated” player should win. But, this does not always happen; that is

why we play the game, to find out who really is the best player that day.

To get a USCF “rating” a player must play in a USCF Tournament. After

the Tournament Director (TD) sends in the scores of the tournament, and USCF

processes the tournament, then the player will have a “rating”. That “rating” may

change many times until the player has finished the fourth or fifth tournament (you

have to have played at least 24 games). After that, the “rating” will not change

very much every time. A rating does not change for each game, it changes for

each whole tournament.

In “Scholastic Chess” the “rating” is not that important, because the players

are getting better so fast that their “rating” is usually not as high as their playing

ability. There are many times when a scholastic player will lets too many things

mess up how they play, and they might have a bad game or tournament just

because they could not or did not concentrate or pay attention as well as they

should have.

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“Ratings” are divided into “Rating Classes”. Players with ratings above

2400 are “Senior Masters”. Those with ratings from 2200-2399 are “Masters”.

Ratings from 2000-2199 are “Experts”. Ratings from 1800-1999 are “A” class.

Ratings from 1600-1799 are “B” class. Ratings from 1400-1599 are “C” class.

Ratings from 1200-1399 are “D” class. Ratings 1199 and below are “E” class

players. The titles of International Master and Grandmaster are special titles

awarded by the international organization in charge of Chess—FIDE (“Federation

Internationale des Echecs” which means “International Chess Federation”).

Pairings

“Pairings” is the list of who a player is going to play each “round”. The

rules for pairings are all found in the USCF Official Rules of Chess. In the first

round of a “Swiss System Tournament”*, the kind most of us play in, all of the

players are put in order based on their “rating” and then the top half play the

bottom half. After the first round (and for rest of the rounds) the players are put

into “rating order” (highest to lowest) within their “score group” (4 wins vs 4 wins,

2 wins vs 2 wins) and then players are “paired” with the bottom half against the top

half within each “score group”.

In “Scholastic Individual/Team Tournaments” a player is never “paired”

against a teammate, if at all possible. Sometimes during the last round all of the

players in the top “score group” may end up being from the same school. This is

so we can find a true Individual Champion for the tournament. There may also be a

day when all of the players in the lowest score group are from the same school.

Rather than having to play someone who has already won one or more games,

many TDs will just ask the player’s coach to let them play a teammate who also

has no points.

Which color (White or Black) a player will play is decided at random (luck)

for the first round for the “top rated” player, and then alternates (takes turns), for

56

each game below the top game. A player may be assigned the same color twice in

a row, but never three times in a row. A “perfect” tournament, with an even

number of “rounds”, will have every player play each color the same number of

times. In “Scholastic Chess Tournaments” we are not always that perfect because

Scholastic players are not supposed to play their teammates (if possible). In very

small tournaments, sometimes it can not be helped and teammates must be paired.

The “pairings” may be listed alphabetically or in board order. The “board

order pairings” list each board number and the players who will play on that board

number (see Appendix A for a sample). In the parenthesis ( ) after the players

name it will usually list the number of points earned by the player so far, and then

by that player’s “rating”. What is in the parentheses ( ) can be changed by the

Tournament Director. Many Scholastic Tournament Directors feel that scholastic

players should not know the rating of their opponent because it might make them

give up instead of doing their best. So the TD might put the school code for the

player there instead of the player's rating. In the blank in front of the player’s

name is where each player is to mark their results (1 for win, .5 or 1/2 for draw, 0

for loss) after the game. Both of the players in a game are to go and write down or

tell the proper person the result of that game (because some tournaments have

adults you are to go to after your game).

The “alphabetical (alpha) pairings” will have all players listed alphabetically

by their last name in the left column (see Appendix B for a sample). In the “alpha

list” only the opponent will have “extra information” and the “color” you see (W

for white and B for Black) will belong to the player listed in the left column, so the

opponent (listed in the right column) will have the other color. Each player is

listed twice, once in the left column and again in the right column (for their

opponent).

57

There is more than one kind of computer “pairing program”. The kind of

samples you see in Appendices A and B are like the pages you will see in all

programs, but there may be some little differences.

Tiebreaks Why do we have “tiebreaks”? Tiebreaks are to decide the order of players

when it is time for the medals and trophies to be given. In adult tournaments (with

cash prizes), “tiebreaks” are hardly ever used because all players who are tied for a

certain cash prize will split that cash prize. We use the tiebreaks listed below for

National Scholastic tournaments. The order may change for local tournaments.

1. “Modified Median”: adds up the final scores of all of a player’s opponents

and then throws out the highest and lowest scores.

2. “Solkoff”: adds up the final scores of all of a player’s opponents.

3. “Cumulative”: adds up the “sequence of scores” for the player. Example:

if a player won his/her first and third round and got a draw in the fifth

round of a five round tournament, his/her sequence of scores would

be: 1, 1, 2, 2, 2.5 for a “cumulative” total of 8.5. The player won the

first round so the player received 1 point. The player lost the second

round so you add the 1 point for the first round and the 0 point for the

second round together and that player will also have a 1 for the second

round . . . and that continues for all rounds of this tournament.

4. “Cumulative of Opposition”: adds up the “cumulative score” for each of a

player’s opponents.

There are other “tiebreak systems” which are not used very much. They are

as follows: “Median” (same as the Modified Median but throws out only the low

score), “Result Between Tied players” (this is used when the two players have

played and the game did not end in a draw), “Most Blacks” (because most people

think it is harder to win with the Black pieces), “Kashdan” (this system gives 4

58

points for a win, two points for a draw, one point for a loss, and zero for an

unplayed game) and “Sonneborn-Berger” (losses are not counted).

To determine the “tiebreaks” for your team during or after a Tournament,

just add up the individual tiebreaks for the top four scorers on the team.

To see how the tiebreaks might appear on the “Standings”* sheet (which

lists all players from first to last place) in a tournament see Appendix C.

Entering a Tournament

Most tournaments give “discounted” entry fees for entering in advance. If

this is your first USCF tournament and you are not already a member of USCF,

you will need to include the “USCF membership fees” with your “entry” fee, or at

least do so when you get to the tournament. If you are not yet a USCF member,

the TD will need the following information: First Name, Middle Initial, Last

Name, complete mailing address, and birth date.

If the tournament has more than one section, you must say when you enter in

which section you want to play. The Tournament sections are based on “ratings”,

which were already explained in this chapter. If this is your first tournament you

need to enter the lowest rated section or the section for “Unrated” players.

You will need to find out what equipment you need to bring with you. Find

out if the tournament supplies pens or pencils or scoresheets or Chess sets.

Scorekeeping

“Scorekeeping”* means writing down every move of both players in a game.

This written record can give a player with an excellent “learning tool”. If you

replay games you have lost, then you learn not to make the same mistakes again.

The problem is that many players only like to remember games they have won.

You can only get better if you find your mistakes and do not repeat them. So, the

games a player can learn the most from are the games which have been lost.

Remember that you were good enough to get a win but were not good enough in

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the games you lost. If you need to prove a “draw” by “Three-fold Repetition of

Position” or the “50 move rule”, you have to keep score carefully the right way.

Appendix E is a sample “scoresheet”. In the correct blank you are to write

your move and your opponent’s move. Appendix F explains “scorekeeping” in

detail.

Questions During A Round

If a player has a question during a “round”, they are to 1) stop the clock and

2) raise their hand. When the Tournament Director (TD) gets there, the player is to

ask the question. Players do not have to ask permission to go to the bathroom or

get a drink; but, their side of the clock must keep going while they are gone from

the board. A player may ask the TD to explain any rule during their game or to

help solve a disagreement. But once a result is recorded (written on a scoresheet

and signed by them and the opponent) for a game, that game is over and no more

claims (questions) may be made for that game.

A player is never allowed to talk to anyone other than their opponent or a

TD during a round. If a player needs to talk to someone else (like to get medicine

they need) then they need to 1) stop the clock and 2) raise their hand and 3) ask the

TD for permission.

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